Business and management

Ingvar Kamprad steps back

IKEA instructions

CONGRATULATIONS. You have acquired a new IKEA. Ingvar Kamprad, the 87-year-old founder of the Swedish furniture retailer (pictured), is moving into the background by stepping down from the board of Inter IKEA Holding, which owns the IKEA brand. His three sons—Jonas, Mathias and Peter—will become more prominent design features, with Mathias becoming chairman of Inter IKEA.

To put together your picture of your new IKEA start by inserting this into your browser. It details the shuffle at the top. Access this and this to learn that most of the stores are operated by the separate IKEA Group. This in turn is owned by the Netherlands-based Stichting INGKA Foundation, where Jonas Kamprad is a board member. Do not overlook this link to the Ikano Group, which administers the Kamprad family wealth and also operates some IKEA stores. Its chairman is Peter Kamprad and his brothers are on its board. The structure, which has little of the Scandinavian simplicity of most of IKEA’s furniture, is meant to minimise tax and maintain family control.

This shows that the shops did rather well last year, thanks largely to strong sales in emerging markets like China and Russia. Bolt this on to learn about how IKEA’s heritage of Swedish thrift contributes to the company’s success, but also that its opacity can cause trouble.

This article suggests that the transition to a younger generation of Kamprads has long been in the works. But it may not yet be complete. Ingvar Kamprad says he will continue to “share ideas and views” and to “spend time in the stores and in the factories.” To see why that might worry managers click on this. It relates how Mr Kamprad appeared to question the pace at which Mikael Ohlsson, IKEA Group’s chief executive, was opening new stores. Mr Ohlsson himself is scheduled to retire in September. Read this to find out about his successor, Peter Agnefjäll, who currently runs IKEA in Sweden.

Even after you put this all together, it is not entirely certain who will run the show.

Swedes in general are still very proud of IKEA, besides a few socialists who can't stomach the success of others. IKEA has turned into a symbol of a Sweden, where hard work was considered a good thing, and where success was something to be proud of, and to be handled with responsibility. To me IKEA is a role model of a good corporate citizen, despite IKEA not longer being Swedish. Too bad the Socialists forced companies like IKEA and Tetra Pak to leave Sweden, due to the threat of a Socialist takeover using Employee Funds managed by politicians.
The same politicians started importing voters by the way, and exploited them in a way that is more similar to human trafficking rather than human concern. The result is best described by the current riots in Sweden.
The IKEA brand is strong enough for Swedes to tell the journalists off, each time they try to "reveal the dark secrets of IKEA". Swedes are fed up with left wing journalists and their never ending struggle to force the socialist view on the Swedes. Ingvar Kamprad is concerned about the values of IKEA, and keeps an eye on the corporate plans and the corporate culture. He's the owner, he's the one behind the success, so he has the right to dictate how things are done in his company. Most Swedes thinks that's fair, and we want the same rights to decide about the values in our own country.
It's a pleasure to conclude Mikael Ohlsson will soon belong to the past. His way of acting was the acting of a free rider who thought he knew better than the owners, and who manipulated to set his own agenda in a very disrespectful way.
This way IKEA turned into a symbol of justice too, on top of the previously mentioned symbols. In a similar way there are many Swedes who are wishing to show the Swedish politicians that the Swedes are in charge of Sweden. Sweden is for the Swedish people, not for a few networking politicians who have their very own view of democracy.

It is terrible that when links become recommended they move to the top, but 'replies' are not visible. This favors unilateral discussions, and in the case of some it helps spread bigoted ideas without debate. Simply, it limits the 'comment section' potential by not allowing legitimate conversation spaces to develop.

Economist web-personel, please allow replies to become visible under each comment even when readers select "reader's most recommended".

Click, at the top of Comments, on either "Newest first" or "Oldest first" to get everything in order, and all the comments together. Not sure how you are defaulting to "Readers' most recommended"; mine always goes to "Newest first."

I don't understand why IKEA is supposed to be such a great company. Terrible customer service, disorganized/slow shipping of internet/catalogue shipping, and the stressful experience of going to an IKEA location takes years off your life. Yet I've found much better prices for "real" furniture (even made out of actual wood!) at local/traditional furniture chains, and I don't even have to assemble it.

Its chairman is Peter Kamprad and his brothers are on its board. The structure, which has little of the Scandinavian simplicity of most of IKEA’s furniture, is meant to minimise tax and maintain family control fitted wardrobes